Revelations
by pottersmissus
Summary: Harry watches Hermione dancing the night before his wedding to Ginny leading to a whole host of revelations... Warning contains adult content!
1. Chapter 1

'_I love her like a sister…it's always been like that…_'

Harry recalled his words to Ron following the destruction of the locket Horcrux with a rueful sigh and wondered why all of a sudden they no longer felt like the truth. Why now on the eve of his wedding to Ginny was he thinking things about his best friend that he shouldn't think about anyone but his future wife?

Though he and Ginny had both had their stag and hen parties two weeks earlier, he'd readily agreed to Ron's suggestion that the two of them and Hermione go out for a few drinks tonight. But after a few rounds, Hermione had accepted an invitation to dance and Ron – a professional Quidditch player for the Chudley Cannons – had disappeared with a pretty blonde claiming to be his 'biggest fan'. Harry hoped Ron would be up to performing his best man duties tomorrow – he was already dreading the speech after George had offered to help him write it.

But if he was honest with himself, his thoughts were not on Ron or his speech right now. They were fixed on the woman in the middle of the dance floor, the woman he had known for eleven years.

His eyes travelled up her body over the jeans that rode low on her hips and hugged her slender curves like a second skin. Her t-shirt was pink and emblazoned with the words 'Muggle-born and proud of it!' It was clinging and perfectly outlined her petite breasts. Her brown hair now sported a few blonde highlights and its previous bushiness had given way to gorgeous curls. As she danced, she lifted her arms in the air, which made her top raise up a little and Harry caught sight of the jewel sparkling in her navel.

He felt a measure of surprise – the decoration was so un-Hermione and as such was all the more sexy. As he continued to watch her dancing, her partner watching her with equal appreciation, her body lost in the rhythm of the music, he felt himself growing hard.

Immediately cursing his unruly body, he tried to push thoughts of Hermione from his mind. He felt disgusted with himself that just hours away from marrying the woman he loved, he was getting turned on watching his best friend dance.

Then as he watched, he saw her partner move closer to her and put his hands on her hips. Though he knew he had no right to be jealous, he couldn't stop himself from marching up to the dance floor and putting his hand on her shoulder. She turned at once and broke into a smile. His 'rival' appeared to recognise him and immediately backed off.

"Harry?" she said, still smiling. "I thought you didn't dance."

"I…I…I…" When the other wizard had invited her to dance, she'd tried to get him to join her, especially as Ron had been engrossed in having his ego stroked by the girl at the next table., but he'd declined. He wasn't a fan of dancing.

She laughed and took hold of his hips, pulling him closer. "Come on, its fun."

Being so close he could smell her scent and he could see her nipples pressing against the fabric of her top, making it obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra. Merlin, he was getting hard again and this time mind over matter wasn't going to work. He hoped she wasn't close enough to notice.

He couldn't understand why this was happening to him now. He and Hermione had always been just friends – nothing more. He had been in close proximity to her before – they hugged on countless occasions – but all of sudden, just dancing with her was turning him on. The only explanation he could come up with was that he'd had too many firewhiskeys and his brain was starting to play games with him – making him wonder what he'd be giving up by marrying Ginny. Well he didn't need to wonder. He loved Ginny and Hermione was just a friend. Now if he could just get his body to remember that.

Thankfully after the next song, Hermione elected to head to the bar for another drink and he happily followed her. But as she signalled to the barman, her top rode up, showing off her navel stud again.

"I didn't know you had that," he said, pointing to the glittering gem.

She followed his gaze and her face took on a self-mocking expression. "You like it? I haven't decided yet. Ginny convinced me to get it."

The adjective that had come to mind earlier was not something he cared to repeat to Hermione, especially as he was trying not to think of her that way.

"It's cute. So what are you drinking?" he asked, not wanting to dwell on a rather dangerous topic of conversation.

"Rum and coke, please."

After getting served, they returned to their table, Harry being careful no to sit too close to her.

"No need to ask where Ron is," Hermione said.

"Garnering some more publicity for the Cannons, no doubt." Since the Cannons had won the Quidditch Cup, Ron had been more popular than ever and had been the victim of a couple of kiss 'n' tell stories in the Daily Prophet.

"'Oh Ron, I'm your biggest fan.'" Hermione said, mimicking the girl Ron had disappeared with. "I'm surprised his ego could fit through the door."

"Isn't it a little weird for you," Harry asked. Just as he and Ginny had resumed their relationship after the war, Ron and Hermione had gotten together, but had split up last year.

"A little, I guess. But Ron and I haven't been together in over a year and I've kinda got used to it. He seems happy."

"What about you?"

"I'm ok. Sometimes I miss him, but I think what I miss most is being in a relationship, having someone who loves me. It was great while it lasted but in the end he wasn't the one for me." She paused, before continuing. "Now you and Ginny – there's a perfect match."

"Yeah, and one day it'll happen for you, too, I know it."

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm just glad you're going to be happy."

He smiled. He and Ginny were going to be happy together. And the fact that for the last ten minutes, he'd been able to sit and talk with Hermione without once having inappropriate thoughts made him realise he'd been stupid to worry about his feelings for his best friend.

They continued talking and drinking until it got to such an hour that they realised if they didn't go home now, neither would make it to the wedding on time the next day and the thought of facing the wrath of Molly Weasley was enough o send them in the direction of the exit.

He offered to escort her home – even when you're a witch, walking home alone isn't a good idea. They would have apparated, but Hermione lived in a Muggle apartment block and there was no need to risk exposure. When they reached the door to her place, she unlocked it before turning to Harry.

"Well, I guess I'll see you at the Burrow."

"Yeah."

"Night, Harry." Reaching up, she hugged him and for the first time in eleven years, he realised how perfectly her body fit with his, her braless breasts pressing into his chest. Suddenly all of his earlier lustful thoughts and feelings came rushing back to him. As her soft lips pressed a kiss to his cheek, he groaned, his hard-on returning with a vengeance and he had to step back before she was able to feel it.

As he looked at her he tried desperately to understand what was happening – how one minute he could be enjoying a nice evening and having a nice conversation with his best friend and the next be getting turned on by a hug and a kiss on the cheek. It didn't make any sense, but he knew one thing for sure. If he didn't leave now, he was going to do something incredibly stupid, like kiss her.

"Night, Hermione."

But as she turned to open the door, he grabbed her arm.

"Wait!"

She turned back with a frown on her face. "What is it? What's the matter, Harry?"

He was torn. A big part of him knew he should let her walk through that door so he wouldn't jeopardise their friendship or his relationship with Ginny. But another part of him needed to know, needed to know what she tasted like, felt like.

When he didn't answer, her frown grew deeper and she stepped closer. "Harry, you're scaring me."

Suddenly, his need overwhelmed him. His best friend was standing in front of him and yet he was seeing her in a completely different light and he just couldn't help himself. He wanted her; he wanted her more than his next breath.

Without even considering the consequences, he seized her arms, pulling her into him and kissing her. It only lasted a matter of seconds before she pulled back with a gasp, her hand immediately flying to her lips.

"Harry?"

"Hermione, I…"

But he didn't have time to finish the sentence because her hands were cupping his face and she was pulling him to her and kissing him back.

He didn't even stop to question why she'd done that. All thoughts of Ginny and their forthcoming wedding were forgotten as, still kissing him, she opened the door and dragged him through it. As soon as the door was closed, he pushed her up against it.

Their kisses grew more passionate, their tongues tangling and their breath mingling. While one of his hands played with her hair, Harry slid the other down her body, pulling her closer so she could feel how hard she made him. Hermione's hands meanwhile slid down Harry's back to play with the hem of his t-shirt.

The hand that was in her hair slid down to her waist before moving back up to tentatively cup her breast over the material of her top. She moaned against his mouth, drawing a groan from his as she pressed her breast into his hand, encouraging him to touch her. He brushed his thumb against her nipple and she gasped, her hands fisting with his t-shirt before sliding up to bare skin of his back, while she lifted her leg and, having slipped off the sandals she'd been wearing, rubbed the sole of her foot up and down the back of his leg. The hand that was resting on her hip moved to lift her leg higher and curl it around his hip.

Her other leg joined the first and he pressed her more firmly against the door as his hard, throbbing flesh pressed against her centre. He could feel the heat of her through two layers of denim. She pulled her mouth from his to press kisses to his neck as her fingertips traced his spine and her hips bucked as she ground herself against him.

"Bedroom…" he gasped, speech becoming an issue in the onslaught of pleasure.

"Down there…" she panted, nodding her head in the direction of the hallway that lead off her sitting room.

With the movements of her hips driving him mad, he carried her down the hall, through the door she indicated on the right and into her room. He sat down on the bed and brought her mouth back to his as he pulled her top up and over her head, dropping it on the floor beside the bed. He groaned at the sight of her breasts. They were as perfect as he'd imagined them when she was dancing. Round, high, firm and perfectly sized with hard nipples that were begging for his touch.

She moaned and her head fell back as he brought his hands up to stroke them, rubbing the nipples between his thumbs and forefingers before replacing one hand with his mouth, flicking his tongue back and forth across one taut bud. She gasped at the sensation, arching her back and clutching at his still covered shoulders. Her hips picked up the pace making him ache for release.

As he returned to her mouth, she grabbed hold of his t-shirt to remove it, and he rolled her over so that she was beneath him, before standing up and undoing and pulling off his jeans and removing hers. He nearly came at the sight of her panties – a miniscule scrap of black lace. He peeled them down and kissing her again, he slid his hand between her thighs where she was hot and wet. She gasped against his mouth when he slipped two fingers inside her and rubbed her clit with his thumb. As he touched her, her eyes slid closed and her mouth open as she moaned her pleasure. But it wasn't enough – he had to taste her.

He kissed down the length of her body, stopping briefly to tease her nipples. When he reached his destination, he pressed his mouth to her pulsing flesh. Merlin, she tasted incredible. She cried out when he flicked his tongue over her clit and fisted her hands in his hair as the pleasure grew. As it began to overwhelm her, her cries grew louder and his hips began to rise and fall in rhythm with his tongue.

"Oh…Harry…please…please…"

He knew the exact moment she reached her climax – her whole body stiffened and she screamed his name, before collapsing. As she lay there catching her breath, his eyes raked over her, loving the way her skin was flushed and her legs scissored helplessly as she tried to regain her composure. Suddenly her brown eyes slid open and met his green gaze. Her mouth curved into a languid smile and he was reminded of the still hard flesh pressing against her leg through the material of his boxers.

She noticed too and propping herself up on his elbows, she pulled his face to hers to kiss him before rolling him over onto his back and moving down his body to pull off the final barrier of clothing. Her eyes widened a little at his size and he thought briefly of all the jokes Seamus used to make about 'wand size'. But all thoughts of his former schoolmates flew from his mind when Hermione curled her soft hand around the aching length of his arousal.

The torment was brief but immediately intensified when she replaced her hand with her mouth, her tongue teasing him by flicking over the head. The feel of her hot, wet mouth surrounding him gave him a sense of what it would be like, being inside her body and he knew he wouldn't last long. As he felt the tell-tale tingling in the base of his spine, he wound his hands in her hair and pulled away.

"Please, Mione…I need…inside you…"

With a smile she crawled back up his body to kiss him, allowing him to roll them back over so that he was on top. As he moved between her legs to position himself at her entrance, she curled them around his hips, locking them in the small of his back and tilting her body towards him. He pulled back to look in her eyes as he slid inside her.

Nothing could have prepared him – it was impossible to describe how amazing it felt and he had to squeeze his eyes shut to stop himself from coming too soon. When he felt more under control, he began to move, thrusting slowly, then faster until her body joined him in the rhythm. As the pleasure escalated, she pushed him onto his back again so that she was sitting astride him, rocking her hips, her body on display for his viewing pleasure.

He reached up to cup her breasts and play with her nipples then changed his mind and slid one hand down to play with her clit. Her body clenched around him as her movements grew faster. He could feel himself teetering on the edge and knew she was there with him. When he felt her tense, he let go and they cried out together, both shaking as tremors rocked their bodies.

Then her strength gave out and she collapsed on him, her hair damp with perspiration and her skin even more flushed. He held her in his arms, pressing kisses to her quivering body. He closed his eyes as lethargy consumed him, the thoughts of the beautiful and incredible woman in his arms the only thing able to penetrate his mind, the ramifications of his actions not even figuring.


	2. Chapter 2

When Harry finally awoke, the sunlight from the rising sun was streaming through the window. As the events of the previous night came back to him in all their glorious Technicolor, he groaned and rubbed his eyes. His glasses were lying on the bedside table and he put them on.

What had he done? He'd known Hermione for eleven years and never once had he seen her as anything more than a friend. But on the very night before he was due to get married, he suddenly developed lustful feelings for her. Lustful feelings that he'd been unable to resist.

Merlin, what kind of git was he? The guilt which had eluded him during the first passionate coupling and the two subsequent couplings was now hitting him full force. He'd always been disdainful of men who cheated and yet here he was in bed with a woman who was not his bride-to-be. What was he going to do?

He knew that if he confessed all to Ginny, she'd probably punch him in the nose and call off the wedding. He didn't want that. But could he go through with the wedding after what he'd done? He was supposed to love Ginny, but at the first hint of temptation, he'd fallen into bed with someone else. And not just someone else, but a woman who was his best friend and who Ginny had chosen to be her bridesmaid.

Hermione suddenly stirred beside him, but didn't wake. His eyes were drawn to her and he couldn't stop himself from recalling the night before. He'd been right about her having an incredible body – all silky smooth English-rose skin that he'd kissed all over; legs that seemed to go on for miles; chocolate brown eyes with little flecks of gold that he'd never noticed; a voice that grew soft and husky with pleasure when she cried out his name as she came.

As the memories assail him, his flesh hardened and the guilt overwhelmed him once more – even in the cold light of day, knowing what he'd done and how much it would hurt Ginny if she found out, he was still aching with desire for her. What he wanted to do right now was touch his mouth to her soft, pink and utterly kissable lips and wake her up so he could lose himself and his conscience in her incredible body again.

No! He was not going to do that again. He'd already committed an unforgivable sin – he wasn't going to make it any worse. He was going to go home, take a very cold shower and then go to the Burrow, marry Ginny and forget this ever happened. With one last look at Hermione, he got out of bed, pulled on his clothes and left.

When Hermione awoke, her eyes were immediately drawn to the empty bed beside her. The sheets were still rumpled but they were cold, suggesting it had been at least a couple of hours since Harry had left. Not that she'd really expected him to stay. A small part of her that still believed in fairy stories hoped that after spending the night with her, he'd decide not to marry Ginny and instead reciprocate her feelings.

Because the truth was, she was in love with Harry Potter. Her best friend and a man who was on the brink of getting married. It had begun as a crush in her second year which she'd managed to hide extremely well. And when it became clear to her that he didn't see her as more than a friend, she'd turned her attentions, first to Viktor and then to Ron, who seemed to return her affections.

It wasn't that she hadn't loved Ron – she had – but he wasn't and never had been Harry and in the end, even their mutual affection hadn't been able to rid her of her feelings. In the end, she'd decided she was being unfair to Ron by continuing the charade that they were heading for a happily ever after.

She'd been telling the truth last night when she'd told Harry that Ron hadn't been the one for her, because only one man could ever be the one for her and he was about to marry someone else. Last night had been a revelation – of what she and Harry might have had if it had been her he'd fallen for instead of Ginny.

She knew there was more to a relationship than just sex but it was just her luck that he would be amazing in bed. The things he did with his hands, his fingers, his mouth, his tongue. And when he was inside her – it was like nothing she'd ever felt before. She may have lost her virginity to Ron, but being she Harry had felt like her first time all over again. Maybe because it was her first time with the man she truly loved.

First and only. It was clear from the fact that he had left without waiting to talk about what had happened that he wanted to forget his little indiscretion. He was going to marry Ginny and she was going to do what she always knew she'd have to do when the time came. Stand there and watch it happen – watch the man she loved marry someone else and her last hope of happiness disappear.

Looking at the clock on the bedside table, she realised that she only had an hour before she had to be at the Burrow with Ginny. Climbing out of bed, she smiled a little at the way her body still throbbed with remembered pleasure. She may only ever have that one night to remember Harry by, but what a night it had been.

After a quick shower, she performed a drying spell on her hair before picking up her tote and her bridesmaid's dress and apparating to the Burrow. When she arrived she saw Bill, Percy and Arthur magically arranging chairs in the marquee, while Charlie and George were magically blowing up balloons.

After a cursory greeting, she headed inside where Molly was buried amid hundreds of triangular sandwiches and vol-au-vents and Fleur, Charlie's Romanian wife, Madalina and George's wife, Katie were folding napkins and putting the finishing touches to the table decorations.

"Oh, hello, Hermione," Molly said when she saw her. "Ginny's upstairs doing her hair."

With a brief smile, Hermione headed up the stairs to Ginny's bedroom, where she found Harry's fiancée sitting in front of the mirror flipping through a Muggle hair magazine and using her wand to recreate the different styles in her hair as she tried to decide which would look best. Luna, Ginny's other bridesmaid was sitting on the bed painting her nails a hideous orange colour, which she duly changed with the help of her wand to match her dress when she saw the look on Hermione's face.

"Hermione, you're here!" Ginny said. "What do you think of this?" She indicated the most recent hairstyle. Her red hair had been pulled back in a spray of curls intermixed with white satin roses.

"It's lovely."

Ginny grinned. "I'm so excited. I can't believe this is finally happening. And to think I was once jealous of your relationship with Harry."

Hermione paled. "What?"

"Don't look at me like that. I wasn't the only one thinking it. Everyone else thought that the amount of time the two of you spent together had to mean there was more than friendship going on. I know, I know, it sounds so silly. But I have nothing to worry about anymore. Harry picked me – he's going to marry me and oh Merlin, I can't wait till my wedding night."

"Sorry?" She'd been temporarily stunned, metaphorically speaking, by Ginny's little speech, especially considering how close to the mark she was.

"Harry and I haven't slept together for nearly two weeks. What with all the last minute wedding preparations, we've hardly had a moment alone together, let alone enough time to get up to anything. And it is killing me. Harry is…well let's just say, I'll never have any complaints in that department, if you know what I mean…"

Oh Merlin did she know, she thought, trying and failing to hide the blush that stained her cheeks. Luckily for her, Ginny completely misinterpreted it.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Harry's your friend – you don't want to hear stuff like that about him. It'd be the same if you started talking to me about Ron."

"I bet Ronald's recent escapades have taught him a few new tricks," Luna piped up.

"Luna! That's my brother you're talking about. Yuk!" She turned to Hermione, who had still not moved since entering the room. "Come on, you need to get dressed cause I need you to go downstairs and get our flowers and Luna's going to be busy doing my make up."

Hermione smiled and unwrapped her dress, before slipping off her clothes and putting it on. It was lavender and strappy and fit her slim figure perfectly. After piling her curls on top of her head and placing a securing charm on them, she used her wand to apply some light make up. After slipping her feet into ivory shoes, she headed downstairs to the den, where the flowers were being kept.

Walking into the room, she stopped short when she saw Harry standing there toying with one of the bouquets.

"Hermione." He looked as unprepared for this little tête-à-tête as she was.

"Harry."

He took a deep breath. "Look, I'm sorry for leaving this morning like I did."

"It's ok. I understand. Last night was a mistake, right."

He hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Yeah, yeah, of course. I mean, I must've had too much to drink and…"

"And you needed sex."

"Sorry?"

"Ginny told me – the two of you haven't been, you know…intimate for a couple of weeks. I guess you must've been pretty frustrated."

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Do you really think that little of me? That I'd use you just because I was frustrated. I'd never do that to you. You're my best friend."

"Well I think it's safe to say that after last night our friendship has irrevocably changed." Anger was also apparent in Hermione's voice.

He took another deep breath. "I'm sorry. What happened – it was my fault."

"Come on, it takes two to tango – it may be cliché but its true."

"I just don't know how it happened. I mean there's never been anything between us before, so why now?"

"If I knew the answer to that we probably wouldn't be in this mess."

"Yeah"

"So I'm guessing you're not going to tell Ginny."

"I thought about it. And then I wondered what it would really achieve, apart from causing a lot of unnecessary pain. It was one of those things that happened. It's never going to happen again."

"No."

Even as they both denied what they really wanted, they eyes met, green on brown and as if powerless to stop the inevitable, they fell into each other's arms, their lips meeting and clinging for several moments, before they both pulled away.

"Damn," Harry said, his voice a little shaky.

"Yeah."

Deciding that it was not a good idea for her and Harry to be in the same room as each other for longer than a few moments, she picked up the flowers and turned to leave. When she reached the door, she stopped and turned back.

"Thanks for last night. It was special." She turned back to the door.

"Why did you kiss me back?"

She turned back to face him once more. "Sorry?

"Last night. I kissed you first, but then you kissed me."

She could lie, but what could she say? She realised then that she really had nothing to lose. He was going to marry Ginny, regardless of how she felt.

"Because I love you."

Of all the things she could have said. Of all the explanations she could have given – he had never expected that one. All the years he'd known her and she'd never even hinted that she felt that way about him.

Harry stood, unable to move as he tried to make sense of her admission, the door closing behind Hermione as she left the room.

He'd always known she loved him as a friend – she'd said as much many times, but he had no doubt that her little confession was not a declaration of platonic love. He wondered how long she'd felt this way and why she'd never told him. He wondered what he would have done if she had told him.

If it had been before he and Ginny got together, would he and Hermione have ended up together. It wasn't hard to imagine spending his nights in her arms, especially after last night.

Merlin, this was crazy – ten minutes ago he was preparing to put aside his lustful feelings and concentrate on spending the rest of his life with the woman he'd promised to marry. And now not only was he imagining being married to Hermione, he was also beginning to question his feelings for his best friend.

He had always loved her, but only as a friend and their friendship was special. But now a new dimension had been added to his affection – a physical desire that he'd been unable to overcome and had led to him cheating on his fiancée.

Maybe his feelings for Hermione weren't as platonic as he'd always thought. In reality, there was a thin line between the close platonic friendship kind of love and the passionate romantic kind of love. What if he'd crossed that line when he'd kissed her the previous night.

But before he could ponder it further, the door burst open and Ron walked in.

"There you are – I've been looking everywhere for you. I was on the brink of telling Ginny you'd done a runner."

Given the current situation, Harry found it impossible to laugh at Ron's attempt at humour.

"Come on, mate, its time. You ready to face the enemy?"

That was the big question wasn't it? Should he act upon his certain feelings for Ginny and just ignore his potential feelings for Hermione. He shook his head – he was being stupid. He couldn't be in love with Hermione. Falling in love with someone doesn't happen overnight and it certainly wasn't love at first sight.

The truth was he'd been weak – he'd slipped up and slept with his best friend and now in an effort to assuage his guilt, he was trying to justify his actions. He'd cheated on Ginny and no amount of excuses were going to justify that. The best thing he could do was to forget about last night, go back to treating Hermione as the friend she'd always been and do what he'd been planning to do all along – marry Ginny.

"Yeah, I'm ready."

Well, this is it, Hermione thought as she stood at the beginning of the aisle. Harry and Ginny were going to get married and live happily ever after and she would just have to move on with her life. There was no point in pining after a man she couldn't have especially when he was married to her friend.

The chairs on either side of the aisle were filled with various members of the Weasley family as well as Ginny relatives from Molly's side. Though Harry had no family, there was an assortment of Hogwarts alumni (who were like his family anyway) including Neville who had taken over teaching Herbology from Professor Sprout, Dean who was working for the Ministry in the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes, Seamus who was now the manager of the Leaky Cauldron, Parvati and Padma who had opened a dress shop in Diagon Alley and Lavender who wrote a gossip column for _Witch Weekly_. Even Hagrid and Professor McGonagall were in attendance. All these people – friends of hers – here and the only one that Hermione saw was Harry, standing at the foot of the aisle, gorgeous in his black dress robes, Ron standing at his side.

If things had been different, if she hadn't felt the way she did about Harry, this might have been her and Ron getting married today. But things weren't different – she wasn't marrying Ron and she was watching the man she loved begin his life with the woman he loved.

Looking away, she began fiddling with the hem of her dress, until she felt someone's eyes on her. Glancing up she saw that Harry had turned around and was now looking at her. She refused to meet his gaze, not wanting to see the sympathy in his eyes, now that he was aware of what this must be doing to her, having to witness this public display of his feelings for Ginny.

But as the enchanted harps similar to the one Professor Quirrell had used to get past Fluffy the three headed dog in their first year, began to play, she realised she couldn't avoid looking in his direction as she followed Luna down the aisle. He was watching her too, even if it appeared he was looking at Ginny, who followed her on Arthur's arm, looking beautiful in her white lace gown.

When she reached the end of the aisle, she took her place beside Luna and watched Harry smile at Ginny as Arthur gave him her hand and they turned to face the short white-haired wizard who was presiding over the ceremony.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two faithful souls."

Hermione wanted to laugh at the irony of his words but she forced herself to smile and act as if her heart wasn't breaking.

"I, Ginerva Molly Weasley, take you Harry James Potter, to be my husband, secure in the knowledge that you will be my best friend, my life partner and my one true love, for as long as we both shall live."

Hermione watched as Harry took a deep breath.

"I, Harry James Potter…" He paused briefly before continuing. "...take you Ginerva…"

He paused again and Hermione saw him glance in her direction and looked down her heart thumping. Ron stepped forward and put a hand on Harry's arm in silent encouragement, clearly thinking the same as the rest of those gathered – that Harry was suffering from a bad case of nerves.

And then after another brief glance in her direction, he spoke, his words drawing a collective gasp from the assembled family and friends.

"I'm-I'm so sorry, I can't do this."


	3. Chapter 3

"It's alright, Harry," Arthur said to him as they stood outside the marquee. "Its just nerves. I remember feeling the same when I married Molly."

Somehow Harry doubted that. For a start it wasn't nerves, it was guilt and confusion and a whole host of other emotions telling him that if he went through with the wedding he'd be making a huge mistake. A solid relationship couldn't be built on lies and deceit. How could he stand up there and say in front of the people he cared about that Ginny was his one true love, when he wasn't even sure of that himself.

Maybe it wasn't possible to fall in love with someone overnight, but maybe the love he'd always felt for Hermione had changed without him realising it. For a split second, he recalled seeing her walk down the steps at the Yule Ball in fourth year and how for one brief moment his heart had beat a little faster. At the time he'd been crushing on Cho, so he hadn't paid too much attention to it, but maybe it had been a foretelling of his future feelings. Perhaps the fact that he'd been about to marry Ginny had brought his true feelings to light.

He needed to talk to Hermione, but first he had to sort this mess out. There was no way he could go through with the wedding, but he didn't know how to explain things to Ginny.

Then he looked up and saw his fiancée walking towards him, her mother and Ron following her and Hermione standing in the entrance to the marquee. Arthur took a few steps back when she reached him, allowing them to talk.

"Harry, look at me. Tell me what's going on."

Unbidden, his eyes moved from hers to look again at Hermione and as Ginny followed the direction of his gaze, Hermione gasped, the look on her face one of shame and sorrow.

"Hermione?" Ron whispered, his tone full of disbelief.

"I…" she started and then stopped. She started backing away from everyone, looking as if she was about to run off, before lifting her wand from the pocket sewn into her dress and disapparating with a crack.

Ginny looked back at Harry, realisation in her eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said, knowing the truth was out and knowing it was for the best but wishing he didn't have to hurt Ginny like this.

Ginny looked at him again, silently begging him to tell her it wasn't true, that he hadn't betrayed her with Hermione, but he couldn't lie anymore.

"No!" she cried, tears filling her eyes as she ran off in the direction of the house.

When she reached her flat, Hermione sat down on the bed, feeling completely numb. The truth was out and there was no way to turn back the clock. She knew she'd been a coward to leave like she had but she hadn't been able to stay and face Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys, especially Ron. Not to mention her other friends. She couldn't bear the thought of what they must be thinking or worse still saying.

Why had she been so weak? She'd managed to keep her feelings for Harry a secret for ten years – if only she'd done so for one more day. But Harry had kissed her and all of her willpower had deserted her and now everything was in ruins.

She looked down at the bed beneath her. The sheets were still crumpled from the night before and her mind flashed back to how Harry had felt inside her. The pillow on the side of the bed where he'd slept still held the indent of his head and she laid down and pressed her face into it, smelling the scent of his shampoo that she recognised from the countless times she'd hugged him in the past.

Tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks, soaking into the pillow. She knew what she had to do. She'd known it ever since she'd realised the truth was out. She had to leave. Where she'd go, she had no idea, but she couldn't stay. Ron and Ginny and the rest of the Weasleys would never forgive her and things with Harry would never be the same again. She'd crossed the boundaries of their friendship – too many things had happened and they'd never be able to get back what they'd had.

As the thought brought a fresh wave of tears to her eyes, she heard a loud crack and looking up, she saw Harry standing there, frowning as he took in her tearful state.

Seeing her lying there on the bed they had shared only hours before, her face streaked with tears made his heart ache.

"What are you doing here," she asked, sitting up.

"I was worried about you."

He went to sit next to her, but she stood up, preventing him from doing so.

"What about Ginny? Shouldn't you be more worried about her?"

She was probably right, but after she'd disappeared, all he'd been able to think about was finding her and making sure she was ok.

"Maybe. But I'm here. And I think we should talk."

"What's the point? We can't change anything. No matter how much we both wish we could forget about it, what we did can't be erased with a flick of your wand. Ginny loved you and trusted you and we betrayed her."

"You think it would have been better if I'd gone through with it?"

"All you had to do was stand there and say a few words."

"I couldn't."

"Why not?"

"You know why. After last night…"

"We both agreed last night was a mistake. You were supposed to marry Ginny and forget what happened."

"I couldn't. How was I supposed to spend the next however many years with Ginny, raising a family with her, while seeing you everyday and wanting you the way I still do?"

"Well that won't be a problem for you, because I'm leaving."

Her words stole his breath. The very thought of never seeing her again was like a knife in his gut.

"Leaving? To go where?"

"Somewhere. Anywhere. I can't stay after everything that's happened. Ginny probably hates me and Ron'll never forgive me. And when everyone else finds out…maybe if I'm not around, you'll be able to make a go of things with Ginny."

"I don't want Ginny." It was the first time he'd voiced the words and he suddenly realised how true they were.

"Then what do you want?"

What did he want? There could only be one answer to that question.

"You."

"Why?"

That answer was even more simple. He'd been wrestling with his feelings but it was as if all of a sudden a veil had been lifted and everything was crystal clear.

"Because I love you."

How right it felt to say those words. Everything that had happened in the last twelve or so hours had helped him realise how he really felt, but it was the thought of losing her, having her walk away from him that spurred him to face up to those feelings.

But as he said the words, he watched Hermione burst into tears. Seeing her crying wrenched him and he pulled her into his arms.

"Oh, Mione, please don't cry. I can't bear it."

"I don't understand." He realised she was talking about his confession.

"I don't either. I mean, I always knew I loved you as my best friend, but sometime last night, maybe when I saw you dancing or when I first kissed you or when I was inside you, I no longer just saw you as my best friend, but also as a sexy and desirable woman and after that the love I'd always felt began to dangerously veer away from being platonic. And when you said you were leaving, I suddenly knew that I couldn't bear the thought of losing you and that I loved you – not the way two best friends love each other, but the way a man loves a woman."

"The way you love Ginny."

"No, with Ginny it was different. It's hard to explain but I often felt like the decision for us to get back together after the war wasn't mine. It just kind of happened and I went along with it. You and Ron had gotten together and everyone seemed to expect me and Ginny to rekindle our relationship. People kept saying we were the perfect match that together we looked just like my parents and I guess I just began to believe it. And when we got engaged, well, we'd been together three years, Molly was forever dropping hints and it just seemed like the right thing to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I didn't love Ginny – in the beginning I really did want her, but it was more of a crush not the basis for real forever kind of love. And the passion and desire I felt with you last night – I've never felt that with Ginny."

"Love isn't just about passion and desire, Harry. How do you know its not just lust you're feeling?"

"I thought it was at first, but the more I think about it, the more I'm certain of how I feel. I love you, Hermione Granger. I love spending time with you, I love hearing you laugh, I love the way you bite your bottom lip when you're nervous, like you're doing right now. I love the way you worry about me, the way you're always there for me whenever I need you, the way you support me even when you don't agree with what I'm doing. I love the way you're always right, even though I don't always tell you. I love the way I can tell you anything and the way I can trust you completely. I love the way you're eyes sparkle when you're excited about something, the way you dance, the way you feel in my arms, the way…" He broke off when he realised she was crying again. "Hermione, what is it? What's the matter?"

She looked up and he saw that she was smiling through the tears.

"You dope, these are happy tears. I love you Harry Potter."

He pulled her into his arms and pressed his mouth to years, feeling tears well up in his own eyes. Suddenly they heard the cracking sound of someone apparating into the room and pulled apart to see Ginny standing there, still wearing her wedding dress, her face tear stained and her eyes glittering with rage.

"Oh, how sweet."

"Ginny…" Harry began.

She ignored him. "How long?"

"Ginny, I…" Hermione tried.

"How long have you two been sleeping together behind my back?"

"I wasn't like that," Hermione said. "It just happened one night…"

Ginny jumped on that. "One night? It was last night, wasn't it?" When neither of them answered, she continued, looking at Harry. "I knew it, I knew something was up when I tried calling you late last night and you didn't pick up." She turned to Hermione. "Well, you've got some nerve, sleeping with my fiancé the night before our wedding."

"Ginny, leave her out of this. She'd not to blame, I am. I-I kissed her."

"Don't be so naïve, Harry. She'd been in love with you for years."

Hermione gasped.

"Oh, you thought I didn't know? You may have had him fooled but I figured it out. Harry was mine and you couldn't stand it so you seduced him. You always were a little bitch, stringing my brother along for all those years."

Harry stepped in. "Ginny stop it! Neither one of us seduced the other. It wasn't planned. It just happened and I'm sorry."

All of the anger seemed to go out of Ginny at that point and she started to cry. "Why? Why Harry? I loved you. I thought you loved me."

"I thought so too, but…"

"But what?"

"Feelings change."

"Don't tell me you're in love with her."

"I'm sorry, Ginny."

"You bastard!"

Her tears fell faster and she sunk to the floor. Harry felt awful. He might not love her the way she wanted but he wasn't going to stop caring about her. He moved to comfort her, but stopped when he heard another loud crack and Ron appeared.

"Leave her, Harry."

"Ron…" Hermione started.

"Don't you think you've both done enough?" He helped his sister to her feet and without stopping to say anything more, he disapparated with her.

Hermione sat down on the bed. "Did you see the look on his face? He hates us."

Harry knelt beside her. "I think hate's a pretty strong word. He's angry and who can blame him. Ginny's his sister and blood's always thicker than water. But if I'd gone through with the wedding it would have been worse. I'd have ended up hurting Ginny even more. And I'd have lost you." He stroked his hand through her hair. "Maybe one day, Ron'll be able to forgive us."

"I hope so."

"Now this may sound incredibly selfish but the only thing I want to think about right now is making love to you."

Even though it was hard not to still feel guilty about Ginny as well as worry about gaining Ron's forgiveness, the look of love in Harry's green gaze dispelled all her anxieties.

She smiled. "Well, if you insist."

Their lips met softly at first and then more passionately. Harry rose up and eased her back onto the bed before settling between her legs as they lost themselves in their lovemaking.


	4. Epilogue

"It's a boy," Harry said excitedly as the healer handed him a tiny bundle.

He looked over at Hermione who lay back against the pillows, her curly hair damp, her face flushed and her mouth curved into a smile. She looked exhausted but happy.

"James Sirius Remus Potter," she said.

Harry grinned. When they'd been discussing names prior to the birth, Hermione had suggested that if it was a boy, they call him after his grandfather and his two best friends.

Shortly after the events of the wedding that wasn't, Hermione had discovered she was pregnant, having conceived on that first night she spent with Harry, who had joked that it wasn't like her to forget a contraceptive charm. She'd replied that clearly his incredible sex appeal had driven reason from her head. Nevertheless, both were ecstatic at the thought of becoming parents.

They kept the news a secret for the first few months, knowing it wouldn't be well received after what had happened and it was only when Hermione started showing that had begun to tell their friends, most of whom had declined to takes sides after the wedding fiasco. Seamus had even admitted to Harry after a few too many firewhiskeys that he'd always thought the two of them would end up together.

And one night during Hermione's eighth month, Ron had called at their flat to give his congratulations and the Trio were reunited. It was discovered that Ginny had urged Ron to make peace since she had moved on and started dating Neville, even though she wasn't yet ready to forgive them. Ron, it was also revealed, had given up sowing his wild oats and started dating Luna; he had even agreed to be the baby's godfather.

Harry placed his newborn son in Hermione's arm and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You were amazing."

Hermione looked down at her son, whose little head was covered in dark tufts. "He has your hair."

"And your nose."

Just then baby James opened his eyes, which were the exact same shade as his father's.

"Green eyes," Hermione said with a smile.

"I love you," Harry said.

"And I love you."

"Will you marry me?" He held up a gold ring with a sparkling emerald that matched his and James' eyes.

Hermione's eyes filled with tears but she was smiling. "Oh yes, Harry, of course I'll marry you."

He slid the ring onto her finger. "It was my mother's. After she died, Dumbledore gave it to Remus to keep safe. I found it after the war when I was going through his things and then I forgot all about it until recently. I'm glad you're going to be the one to wear it."

"Me too."

Just then the door opened and Ron poked his head round.

"Knock knock – any room for a godfather?"

Harry beckoned him in. "Ron, come and meet James Potter the second."

"Hey, little man. I'm your Uncle Ron." He allowed little James to curl his tiny fingers around one of his. "Luna's on her way up – she just stopped at the gift shop to pick up an instant camera."

While they were waiting for Luna, Harry filled Ron in on his and Hermione's latest news, at which Ron was thrilled. When Luna arrived she was clutching the Wizarding equivalent of a Muggle Polaroid camera.

"Time for a photo of the new family. You too, Ronald."

With Harry standing to the left of Hermione, Ron moved to stand on her right. Baby James snuggled into the folds of his blanket as he lay cradled in his mother's arms.

"Say cheese."

"Cheese!" yelled Ron, Harry and Hermione together as Luna took the photo of the three best friends and the first in the next generation.

The Trio plus one.


End file.
